No Where Else To Go
by Zaunite Koopa
Summary: Due to ZAC's superhero antics, many rumors have been spreading concerning his location. Intrigued by these rumors, Chembaron Takeda grows very interested in finally controlling his "rightful property".
1. Discovery

I sat on my desk, looking over the canyon of Zaun. My Zaun. The chaotic city howled with the numerous gangs destroying it all. My property. My men were sent to deal with them. How long does it bloody take to kill reckless criminals? I turned away from my window and looked at a map of Zaun's sump. Across the map lay points of the appearances of this famed "Blob-man", mostly in the eastern parts of the city-state. I knew it was my weapon. Mine to control. It was somewhere in the sump, the green substance obtained from the crime scene of the "Imaginary Rat massacre" say "Sump". That's where they lived and hid, but where..

Suddenly the door opened loudly.

"Sir! I have came to report on the Zaunite Amorphous Combatant!" a thug shouted.

"Is that so? What information do you have? Did our spies obtained anything of use."

"Yes! They found them. The scientist that ran away. You were right on the location. The faces were proven recognizable. The fingerprints they left match the ones we have in our database."

I smiled. "Good.." I stood up. "Tell the thugs to invade the house immediately. I will have my combatant. Make darn sure of it! Grab the 2 criminals that took my property and make sure that they're alive! But do whatever you can to obtain them. They'll tell me everything. You're dismissed."

The thug's uneven footsteps echoed behind me, growing fainter every second. I smiled.

"No escape now..." I said looking over the city. "Zaun will be mine."

* * *

"There! That should do it!" ZAC said happily as the man lay unconscious on the floor. He was breathing slowly from the brutal blows. ZAC went over to collect his piles of goop from the battle. "The police should be on their way right now." He looked over his shoulder and picked up the bag of gold. "Now where does this go...?" ZAC asked. He looked around to spot a building with a broken window. He walked over and opened the door.

"Hey! Is this what you're looking for?" ZAC said to the shopkeeper shivering at the blob monster. He was probably hiding here the entire time. He looked so scared. "Hey.. I won't hurt. I just want to give this back." One step further. A rifle popped up, aimed at him. ZAC raised his hands, signaling that he meant no harm. "Um... Hey.. I'm not going to hurt you." The gun didn't falter. "Ok then.. I'll just leave this bag of money here, and you can stand up and grab it. Won' that be nice? I promise this isn't a trick."

As ZAC placed the money down, he noticed a newspaper among the shattered remains on the floor. "Unstable Monster Among Us?" the title blared. He looked back at the rifle pointed at his chest. He gently placed the newspaper in his chest. "Ok.. I'm going. I'll leave it down here and you'll get it okay?" ZAC said gently, as he walked back. He quickly went into the sewers after he was out of the shop. He took out the newspaper and quickly skimmed.

" _After research from the remains of the Imaginary Rat Massacre, we have found real information. The substance found at the site have been discovered to have small neurons, proving a sentient force. While the police are investigating the sewers for the infamous Plague Rat as of now, they should also be locating this suspicious entity. There have been numerous citing of him by certain individuals that say he's responsible for damages and heroic feats. Knowing this instability and inconsistency, we should act as soon as possible. Should we let an unstable creature loose in the city?_ "

ZAC was shocked at every word. He muttered the last sentence constantly. _"Should we let an unstable creature loose in the city..?"_ He should tell his parents about this hoped Twitch was doing fine with them for the time being. He didn't how to deal with this. Suddenly, voices began to be heard above him. Seems like the police are here. ZAC went into the pipes and made his way towards his house, scared of what will happen these coming weeks.


	2. Our Own Battles

10 days. 10 days ever since the Goopy One has taken me away from my home. Let those surface dwellers invade my turf like the plague they were. How dare the Goopy one believe that I, Twitch, would sit idle as they destroy my kingdom! It wasn't Twitch's fault THEY stole my juice and beloved materials... They all deserved to be massacred. AND TWITCH DOESN'T NEED THIS "PROTECTION"! The sewer king is not defenseless... grumble grumble.

The darkness of this so-called basement was silent. Only the skittering of roaches on my fur and the dripping of water on the pipes ever entertained me. I begged constantly for my subjects to eat away at the tight straitjacket, but it wasn't like the others. The Goopy One designed it just for me... Stupid blob.

As I lie down on the cold concrete floor, a light appeared, burning my eyes. "Aah! Close it! I command you!" I shouted. The wooden door slammed, and I was back in my comforting dark. I looked up the stairs to see a human. Possibly female. It was usually the female. It was her or ZAC that usually enters through here. She wore a gas mask and gloves, and in her hand was a bowl. Probably food. I sniffed loudly. Cheese. "Hmph! Better be ripe this time, human.. Last time I nearly puked with your putrid offerings!"

"Quiet! You don't want people to hear you don't you.." she shouted back. The sound of food pouring into a bowl echoed in the human cavern. Suddenly, Twitch was presented with a bowl of cheese on a stick, the other end being held by her. I nibbled lightly, only to retch the next second.

"Bleagh! This is worse than the last one! I didn't even know that was possible!"

"Well I'm sorry that we don't have 5-star cooking, but it's all we have. I'm sorry," she said bitterly. "Besides, at least you're safe right?"

"How am I safe!? You're letting those humans destroy! I could skewer them all.. I know I could!"

"Twitch.." Suddenly the door opened again to let in the putrid light.

"Mary, we need to talk. I think someone's at our door," a man's voice broke in as I squinted. All I could make was shadows before the light faded out again. I looked down at my food and grumbled as I reluctantly ate it. As bad as it is, food was still food.

As I nibbled resentfully, the door opened and closed quickly. The wooden steps ran rapidly down before I could even make the shadow. After a second, I found a shadow pressing on my straitjacket. "Hey! Hey! Unhand me! I said no touching from the start!"

"Stay quiet!" she shouted in a firm, shrill voice.

"Wait! I heard something! It's somewhere here!" said the unfamiliar voice coming from the other side of the door. Twitch tried to connect the dots, repeating the words said. "It... Who's it..." I murmured. Gunshots fired through the door as I was lost in thoughts, piercing my ears. They were coming. They were coming for me! I squirmed relentlessly in my entrapment.

"Get me out!" I whispered harshly.

"Stop squirming and I will!" she hissed back. Suddenly the folds of the cloth loosened. I broke through, standing up for the first time in what seemed like ages. I jerked my head rapidly. "Wheres my crossbow..? Where's my crossbow..? Where? Where!?" Another gunshot heard. What were they doing up there? A hard weapon was pressed to my chess. Gold and metal with a revolver.. My favorite weapon. "Leave! And find ZAC. He's not back yet, the damn blob.. Find him and find somewhere to hide!" She looked to the desk of the basement and grabbed a gun. "We'll be back. I promise him we'll be back. Can you please do that for us?" The third gunshot appeared. Time was running out. "Here! Take this!" She presented me with a walkie-talkie. One of those human communication technologies. "Go! GO!" The light appeared. A massive creature was shown. Metal augments seemed to be everywhere for this one. He had a gun attached to his left arm and an engine on his back. Most likely the leader of this invasion. Behind him seemed to be a whole group of those types of humans. Maybe 5 or 10. They were after me. How many of them were brought to exterminate me? I quickly stealthed and shoved the device into one of my numerous pouches. As my hand reached the restroom door, I turned back to see the entire scene. The gun now pointed to the women as she pointed hers to him.

I scurried inside the restroom as fast and quietly as I could, scared of what might happen. My mind didn't have any time to think. It was run or die. They were after me.. After Twitch! Twitch may have died if he stayed there.. The sewer king can't die here.. Must run. MUST RUN! I hit the lever of the porcelain portal and swirled myself down. As I did so, the forth gunshot was fired. The toilet was never heard.

* * *

I ran. I ran away as fast as I could from that wretched place. I told the Goopy one that a location on the surface would be bad in protecting me from surface-dwellers! I told him! And look what happened! I grumbled as I kept my ears high for any whooshing in the pipes. Usually the Goopy One likes traveling through those. I couldn't blame him. The pipes were comfortable to go through, and there was always some interesting muck to find in them! As my one of my ears raised, something came by rather quickly to my left. Whoosh. Whoosh. I quickly used my reflexes and shot at the pipe at the corner. It pierced through the metal, cutting the pipes and leaving an opening. Green muck exploded out of it. I ran towards it and saw the muck coming together and forming an entity. The Goopy one.

He looked at me in confusion, blissfully unaware of the situation. "Twitch.. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at my house! They're not done with the investigation!"

"Grr.. Now's not the time Goopy One! They invaded.. They invaded.. I told you it was a bad idea! Should've listened to Twitch!" I grabbed a hold of his hand. "C'mon! We'll find somewhere! We can.. attack the ones that invade my lair! That would do it! About time they had their shares of sewer skewers! Hehe. With you at my side, there's no way we couldn't win!"

"Wait! They invaded?" ZAC paused for a moment. "No.. No.. No.." He repeated. I ignored his ramblings and tried to drag his body towards the center of the sewers to no avail.

"C'mon Goopy One!" I shouted. "Move! Your humans told me to get you! We need to leave!"

"NO!" Suddenly, the arm jerked against me, destroying my grasp and creating distance between me. He was heading towards the wretched place. I instinctively grabbed my crossbow and pointed at the weapon's shadow. It was a long tunnel, and I could've shot him and gathered his remains, but I didn't. I wanted to save the Goopy One badly.. Oh so badly.. He was mine, and no one destroy Twitch's possessions, but I couldn't let myself pull the trigger. He loved his creators so dearly.. I don't understand his love for humans, but I can see why with those two. Suddenly, the shadow disappeared in the mist in the sewers. I looked away, towards the direction of my lair. No one invades Twitch and gets away with it. Everyone will die.. Everyone. Will. Die. I quickly went invisible and scurried towards the other side of the tunnel, towards my real home.


	3. All Lost

I looked out from the car. The scene of the crime. While it may seem like the houses were fixed, there was a ominous feel to it all. Like entering into a deserted town. The walls were ashen from fire. Concrete suffered the wounds of gunfire bullets and my weapon's fist. Yet, the houses were intact, like it was fixed by someone. Still didn't distract from the smell of death. I'm used to it from all the wars of my fair city. I sniffed it vigorously. To think that it got away, my weapon. Such bubbling idiots. You could never hire good work in the vibrant empire of Zaun. Thank god they're not associated with me no longer. As I came to view, the cameras started flashing their lights at me as I made my way to the stage. Mindless questions came like flies only to be swatted away by my hand. I sat down on my seat as the filthy mayor of this sector came up to the stand. The crowd silenced in his wake.

"Hello everyone! We have gathered here today to honor the passing of Ligius and Mary Calso. 2 amazing people that have helped and breathed new life into Sump Sector Z-9 We could never forget their.."

I stopped listening. It was all boring rubbish. Why should I honor the men who took my property away. No matter. I will obtain it sooner or later. I looked around the crowd. Such commoners. In their ragged, poor cloths. Reminded me of the damn thugs that kept ruining my grand plans. Suddenly, I heard my name being called.

"Now! i present you! With a message from Chem Baron Saito Takeda!" I stood up from my chair as a loud applause swept over me. I walked up to the stand, unmoved and unfeeling from the oppressive atmosphere of the disaster.

"Fellow Zaunites!" I shouted out loud. "Today we have experienced a great loss! 2 scientists that have been in my possession for many years. This act by Zaunite's thugs will not be tolerated, however there seems to be a larger play at work." I extended my hand. "Look around you! The houses of Zaun are torn and destroyed. If this were any simple criminal act, it would only affect the lives of Mary and Ligius Calso, but now we see the homes of many destroyed. If the inhabitants of this sector were here, many more would've perished." Murmuring began to form. "Now, who is this entity of destruction. the entity that ravaged Sector Z-9! Well this entity is none other than the Blob-Man of legend! The Blood of Zaun! Many witnesses of this crime have finally confirmed that all of the myths are true!"

"This creature is not safe for us! He has been proven to be an unstable force that must be stopped if we were to head towards a better city. He has been proven to destroy factories. Turn shops into rubble. And lead to the cost of numerous innocents. To stop this unstable monster from ravaging my city even further, I will not only lend money for the reparations of this fine sector, but to search the sewers for this creature! And rid of it once and for all! He may be considered a hero, but from what I seen, I see a creature that will destroy many to protect one. A monster left to wander the world of Zaun. A specimen left unchecked. If we let those types of monsters out in the wild, if we let them see Zaun as their playground, then the city is dead already." The ovation ran wild. The barrage of camera shots came again.

* * *

My fist cracked through the screen. Smoke came out, flooding the lair with smoke. ZAC took the fist out and looked with hatred. Class was sticking out in his hands. Twitch looked over.

"Goopy One! What are you doing!?" Twitch ran over, blowing the smoke away. "We just got this home back and now you want to destroy it! Stop it! Make it stop Goopy!"

I just threw the TV in the water, where all of the rest of the trash went. Twitch heaved a sigh of relief. My heads were buzzing with thoughts. That man.. He sent them there didn't he? Sent the thugs to kill his parents. Won't even admit to it.. Now I'm a criminal. I breathed heavily, trying to calm himself down before he goes beserk. Twitch constantly screamed his name through the breathing.

"G**py *ne! Go*opy On*! GOOPY ONE!" Twitch shouted. I jolted myself back into reality. "Is.. something wrong..? You look a little green."

"Uh.. I'm fine Twitchy. We're doing that lockdown plan right..?"

"Right! All gates shut down tonight! All pipes blocked! Hehe.. It's such a great plan! Why didn't you listen to me! Going to the surface was such a stupid.."

"yeah.. Right.. Stupid.." I said monotonously.

"Um.. Goopy One..? You look really green today? You sure there isn't something wrong? If you seek revenge, I can assassinate anyone! You seem mighty angry at that fancy human behind the stand."

"No! No.. No killing Twitch! No assassinations.. Okay?"

"Um.. Okay?" Twitch mumbled, disappointed at my reluctance.

I sighed. "I'll be out for a minute. I need to.. cool my head."

I went into a nearby tunnel away from Twitch's home. I couldn't stand the sight of skewered corpses. They'll search down here eventually. Gotta make this quick. I took out a picture of my Mom and Dad. Mary and Ligius Calso. I was surprised that they left this undamaged. Most of the pictures at the house were destroyed except this one. I looked at the picture and sat down. All of this could've been avoided if I was there. All of it could. All of it could. And now look what happened. What type of son am I? I hugged it softly.

"I'm sorry Mom... I'm sorry Dad.." I mumbled coarsely. I couldn't form tears. My body wouldn't let me. But the headache was there. The sorrow. The regret. It hurts so much. "I could've protected you. It was my job to protect right..? Guess I'm a crummy superhero, huh?" I sat in the dark, cold, moist sewers, with only the sound of cool rushing water to sooth me. "What do I do now Mom? Dad? I need your help. I need your help now. Please.." I whimpered in utter silence, sad and alone.


	4. Breach

We sat in the darkness of Twitch's lair quietly. Twitch laid on my lap filled with trepidation. The ground above us rumbled on and on as the search began. After Twitch's massacre around here, why wouldn't they come down here again. As I looked up, I felt the rodent's body shivering. His head jerking left and right. He hugged his crossbow tightly, like it was the only thing that could keep him alive. I scratched his ear in an attempt to comfort the distressed rat.

"Hey. Calm down. They'll leave soon enough," I said gently. "They'll have to get tired of this place someday."

"But.. Goopy One.. What if they find out? I.. I have to kill them first! Exterminate them before they exterminate me!"

"No you don't. Let's just wait. They don't know that this lair exist. They won't find us. I'm sure of it."

"If Twitch is correct, didn't your creators promised that everything was going to be fine? Nothing bad will happen?" Twitch asked. "And look what happened!"

I fell silent. I didn't know what to say to that. I never knew what to say when my parents were brought up. Maybe they would be okay if I was there. Not fooling around in Zaun's pipes all the time. As I thought, the floor rumbled again. I felt a huge tug from my arm.

"Let the sewer king go Goopy One!" Twitch shouted. "You're words.. They're nothing! They won't make sure of anything! Twitch himself needs to finish this! He must! Twitch needs to skewer them! Must kill them before they kill us! Yes.. Yes! Let me go!"

"Twitch.. Please think through this pal. If you show yourself again, they'll know that you live around here. Which means more people. And I'm sure those people are ready for you."

"But if I don't go, they'll find us out.. then they'll kill us.. They'll do those things to us that you've said they do. Experiment.. Dissect... Twitch doesn't want to be dissected!"

"And you won't be! Please! Don't leave!" ZAC's grip on Twitch tightened. "I'm sorry. But I already lost my parents! I'm not losing you!" ZAC shouted angrily. Twitch went quiet, tensing up again. His limbs stiff; his head turned to me, unsure of what to say. "Sorry..I just.. prefer not to lose anyone else. I had enough loss today anyways.."

The ground rumbled again. This time, very loudly. The pipes behind my back began to shake violently. Books began to fall from their creaky bookshelves. The sound of shattered glass echoed through the chamber. Twitch grew restless. "Let me go! They're getting in! I know it!"

"Hey.. Maybe.. Maybe it's just another pipe!" ZAC said, trying to calm him down. "Besides.. We have some pipes we can get into. We can just escape through those!"

"But my kingdom! My turf! My home!"

"But we need the sewer king alive! We can do with a broken kingdom! I'll be with you! I can get protect you! Just don't leave!"

"But Twitch must protect it! The sewer king must protect his kingdom and belongings! It's the only home we have left!" Suddenly, a large creaking noise came from the entrance. The boulder that blocked the pipe. It was removed. I gestured to the pipe behind me.

"C'mon buddy! We can leave through here! We can find another home. I know we can find another home. There's many homes in Zaun! Zaun's a big place. We can find one!"

"NO!" Twitch broke through ZAC's grasp. His crossbow came out, ready to be fired. It grew faintly in the dark. "This is the only home I have! Nowhere is safe for Twitch and his Goopy One! Nowhere! They'll just keep invading and taking.."

"I see something!" Someone shouted in the background. "maybe it's there!"

"Grrr.. No one invades Twitch's lair! No one exterminates him!" The rat slowly went invisible before ZAC could even grab him. He was gone. That wasn't good. That wasn't good. ZAC stood up and ran towards their direction. A loud cackling was heard from the distance. ZAC ran faster and faster. The cackling grew louder and louder. Suddenly, the sounds stop. I finally reached the entrance and saw Twitch lying unconscious on the floor as some gas-masked men looked over. The arrows merely stick to the surface of their bulletproof vests. There was one men down, but that wasn't enough to zone people away from the infamous plague rat.

I quickly grabbed the floor below me and stretched my arms quickly. I aimed for the group about to grab Twitch's body. No one was taking him away. "Sorry about this," ZAC said. His feet let go of the ground, The bodies slammed on to his skin. They clanked on the rusty metal railing of the floor.

"Hello? Hello!?" a walkie talkie shouted. There was more of them. I grabbed Twitch's body, some of Twitch's journals and ran to the backdoor pipe, leaving the invaded lair. Leaving what seemed to be the only safe refuge available.


	5. Protection

"Why are we here!?" Twitch shouted impatiently in the empty pipe room. Above them, the sounds of human laughter came creeping through the walls, terrifying the Plague Rat even further. First, humans stole his ingredients. Then they try to experiment on you. Then they stole your home and belongings! He was done with them. "You said you would bring us to a safe place Goopy One! A safe place to hide... from THEM!" Twitch pointed at the source of his torture, squinting at the dim light eking out from the cracks. "You expect me to believe that this is a great place for the Sewer King to hide!? HM!"

"Twitch.. Quiet down.." ZAC whispered calmly. "Screaming it out loud won't help y'know." ZAC unpacked his chest. A pile of journals from Twitch and a small bag containing his belongings. He placed them on the floor. The rat scurried over to peer through them, to see what the humans failed to take from him. To hope that the possessions that were still his were still valuable enough. "No one would expect you here buddy. Not in a pipe room in the Commercia. With all these humans around. Besides, its abandoned, nothing to worry about. This could be our new home!"

"Don't be stupid Goopy One! There's a reason why no one expects me here Goopy One! So surrounded by my natural enemies... The ones that want to exterminate Twitch! Are you mad!?" Twitch picked up his journals, looking through them bit by bit. Page by page for the weapon to see. "Grrr.. This is useless!" The rodent threw his own journal on the ground. "You could've gotten the loose porcelain portal or.. or.. the magical screen or... the sculptures or..."

"Twitch! I'm sorry but I can't take everything with me! I can't stuff everything in my chest!"

" Why not!? You always stuff things in your chest! You even stuffed ME in your chest! I want my magical screen! I want my porcelain portal! I want my sewers! I.. I.. I want my home back..." The room was silent. Only the sound of laughter was present as they both stared at each-other. Twitch's stature grew more compact, closed together, as if he was trying to protect himself with a nonexistent barrier. Whimpering grew in the isolated room.

The sounds of happiness from the cracks began to irritate him. How dare they be happy in a time of despair for the Plague Rat. The rat slowly reached up to his crossbow. "Make it stop.. Make the sounds stop!" ZAC immediately stretched a hand to stop Twitch from reaching the trigger.

"Twitch! Please calm down!" ZAC shouted, tired and stressed. He took the crossbow and placed it on a shelf, when Twitch couldn't reach. The rat made grabby hands to his beloved weapon. "Goopy One! Please! Those humans.. They're taking joy.. Joy in our suffering! Must.. Kill.."

"NO THEY ARE NOT!" ZAC shouted heavily. Twitch quickly grew silent, shivering at the colossus. The weapon breathed heavily, sweat appearing on his head. He couldn't recall the last time that happened. "Look..." ZAC panted. "How about we take a break.. A lot happened today... And we both need a break." ZAC threw a journal to Twitch and a green crayon. The rat looked at the direction of the sound. "I'll.. I'll be back.."

ZAC went into the pipes and swam through until he hit the surface. He looked through the cracks of the walls to see a restaurant. The lights were low, the seats comfy, and the people were smiling as they talked on and on about the hard days in Zaun. If it were any ordinary day, ZAC would relish in it. Be happy in seeing others enjoying their time in the desolate city. He could smile with them and laugh with them. Listen in on the conversations and imagine their lives. It used to always give him that warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. But now.. Now it's just a cruel reminder to the blob. A reminder of the life he once had. Smile with his mom as she made sweets. Laugh with Dad as our model pipe system gets destroyed. Imagine the amount of people they made happy through their small actions of kindness. The weapon frowned at it, feeling hollow inside. In the small rooms in the pipes, he pushed the picture of his parents so that the eyes of the once deceased. "Look.. You guys always wondered where I was right? Well.. this is it. Isn't it.. nice.." ZAC muttered bitterly. Disgusted with the scene, he shoved the photo back in and crawled away into his refuge.

"Twitch... I'm back.." ZAC said sadly. "I.. I'm sorry for what i said earlier. it was just that-"

The book laid still on the floor, near the shelf. The crossbow was gone. Splatters of ooze sat on the ground. The rat was nowhere to be seen. ZAC picked up the book, and read the following:

 _"The Goopy One thinks he can contain me.. Contain me while they pillage whatever they want! No.. No one can contain Twitch! Not with that happening Must find stuff back.. Must get home back.. Must.. He expects me to live near humans! Expects me to live idly as they laugh! MAKE IT STOP! Just need to find a way to pierce through them even harder.. Yes.. Must pierce through their bodies until there is nothing left! They deserve it.. How could the Goopy One not know.. They killed his creators.. Taken our homes! And he expects us to let them walk over us! No more.. NO MORE! A sewer king must protect HIS sewers! Twitch must protect his home._

 _Plan:"_

At the bottom were illegible handwriting and scribbles, but the message was quite clear. ZAC quickly shoved the book in his chest and quickly went into the pipes. ZAC kept muttering to himself, blaming himself for this mess. He knew Twitch was adamant on things like this. He should've tried to talk to him even further. Maybe even put a straitjacket on him to make him stop. But it didn't matter anymore. He was out there now, and it was his job to make sure he was safe and sound. He made the mistake of leaving his parents behind, he wasn't making it again. ZAC ran through the pipes, leaving the Commercia behind him.


	6. Collapse of the Sewers Part 1

I scampered quickly into the damp tunnels. The sounds of human invaders still echoing from the center. They were still shoving their stupid surface-dweller nose into his territory. Taking what was truly mine away from me. He couldn't let the humans push him around. Let them stomp over the great Sewer King. The Goopy One might enjoy being the human's tool, but not Twitch!

I finally reached the focal point of the sewers. He hid behind the wall and looked over at the abysmal scene. Groups of inferior humans standing around, keeping watch, as many others dive into the cesspool where an open pipe awaits them to show my true home. For them to pillage and destroy. Next to the small group were some crates containing my and the Goopy One's belongings and what seemed to be a weird speaker tool, what these humans call a "radio" if the Goopy One isn't mistaken. They all wore that wretched armor that was immune to my attacks. It even nullified my piercing shots! NOTHING nullifies my piercing shots!

I ducked back into the hall and walked back and forth, lost in thought. What do I do? If the arrows don't work.. then there has to be some other way.. As I sat there stumped, the flow of the great sewage river next to me. The sounds of sludge flowing from their pipes and splashing into the water. I peeked out to see its glory. Numerous waterfalls of green ooze fell from the pipes above the entrance to his lair. The ceiling seemed to be 3 stories high. If you were astute enough, you can hear it rushing behind the walls. Behind.. the walls... I smiled maniacally as I watched the pathetic creatures rummaged through MY stuff. "Hehe... They'll pay.." I cackled as I snuck back into the shadows. "They'll all pay!"

* * *

I quickly ran to Twitch's lair, hoping that the rat hasn't killed himself yet. The sound of my green legs squishing on the pavement jumped off horribly from the walls of these empty hollow tunnels. I resisted the urge to call out Twitch's name. When I arrived, I peeked out to see a camp already set up, scanning the area for something. Was it me? Or were they searching for a certain invisible plague rat? It was impossible to be sure, though their armor seemed to remain relatively unscathed. I immediately went into the pipes and made my way up the levels, hoping I have a good view of the situation. I couldn't just jump on them. Well.. not yet, but I do know that Twitch was somewhere here. If he wanted something, it would be from here.

Suddenly, as I began to squeeze through a tube, a loud creaking sound grew from the other side. A large metallic creak, as if something was breaking apart. The ignorant crowd jolted, looking above them waiting for something to happen. For someone to lunge at them. For an arrow to come whirling at their faces. I looked towards the high stone ceiling with them, wondering where that haunting creak came from and fearing for their safety. Suddenly leaks began to appear. It started off as one small stream of poisonous waste from the farthest side of the inside of this underground tower. Then another came from the side to my left. Then another came from the side to my right. Then another and then another and then another until finally large streams of toxic waste began flooding the area. The sound of rushing water masked the loud and deranged cackle of the Plague Rat.

The people at the bottom of the underground tower ran into the tunnels, hoping to get to a convenient manhole on time without knowing that they've went far too deep. As the 6 men present scampered away, I jumped from my pipe and landed on 3 of them. The others immediately went to their guns as they saw me. The bullets merely bounced back harmlessly as I stretched my arms to knock everyone unconscious. "Sorry about that. You guys are coming with me," I said as I picked up the bodies.

I jumped towards the uppermost pipe in the underground tower and found a nearby ladder for them to rest by. When they awaken, hopefully they have the common knowledge to leave the moment they wake up. I made my way towards the center of the sewers again, looking down as the water level slowly rises. I saw a crate bouncing around the waters with a cracked opening. While it was difficult to look into, you can see a small luster in there. Something shiny. I stretched my arms and grabbed it. I lift the lid and found a pile of worn down paper journals and what seemed like a rusty gas mask, all belonging to Twitch. He came for this.

I placed the crate down to the next pipe in the hopes that the unconscious men behind him awaken. If this was flooding, the lair must be flooding right..? Suddenly, loud splashes appeared from the bottom. ZAC looked down to find the rest of the crew pop out like a whack-a-moles waiting to be whacked, and Twitch had the mallet. A piercing arrow was shot down at the victim. A small line of blood was shown deep in the water as it faded into the green darkness.

"You.. You think Twitch would let some stupid surface dwellers pillage his lair! How foolish! No one picks from my turf! Either it's mine or no one else! Haha.. HAHAHAHAH!"

I had to act fast. I quickly grabbed the floor and slung myself back. He didn't even notice me. His maniacal grin.. His wide pink eyes. I could only imagine what those people are doing down there. I lined my sights for the rat in question. Arms stretching and stretching until finally... I was whirling in the air, I felt bone hitting my chest, and landed safely on a pipe. Twitch got up, his hand placed gently on a bump in his head. "Ow.. Goopy One.. Why are you helping your parent's killers...? Can't you see..?"

"Sorry about that pal.. But you kinda forced my ha- AH!"

I looked below my green chest, and saw a harpoon with an embedded gem. Suddenly, the harpoon pulled back with tremendous force that I slipped from the ground, falling from the top of the chasm. Then an electric surge burst into my chest, reaching my antenna. The voltage burning my insides.. Melting my senses.. Everything hurts. Everything felt oozy.. Suddenly my body split to four as I fell into the rising water.


	7. Collapse of the Sewers Part 2

"Goopy One..?" I murmured, trying to comprehend the blob being dragged down by a simple human weapon. "Goopy One!" I ran to the edge of the pipe and looked down. Green blobs bobbed in the water as the workers trudged through to grab them.

"Get them now! Can't have some blob monster like him around here. Just get the stupid slugs so we can get out of here. I want my money. I'll keep the stinkin rat at bay!" Then their leader looked up at me and smiled at my disbelief in his stupid armor. "Heh. No blob to save you now huh?" He aimed his harpoon and fired. I barely dodged it, feeling the fur rise at the heat of the electricity.

I slowly went invisible as the harpoon fired to the wall. I quickly jumped out afterwards from pipe to pipe. I had to do something. Twitch can't let his Goopy One die. Let them experiment on him or do any of those human things on him. The man's minions shoved the last of the blobs in the bag. They all pointed in the direction of the tunnel at the very bottom, thinking that they could swim towards their way out. They were wrong. No one steals from Twitch and gets away with it.

As they trudged through, my piercing arrow shook the top of the entrance. The rubble fell into the water, covering their way out, and more spurts of water came through. The leader looked at me, hatred burning with his eyes.

"When do you know not to quit rat!" The harpoon readied itself again. I quickly moved down, firing the arrows to his minions only to see them merely stick onto their plating. Once I heard the clicking of guns, I threw a cask at the stones behind them, creating a dense green fog in the area, only able to make out shadows. I remembered the man who kidnapped them. Lanky. Weak. Skinny. The moment I saw his head, I fired 3 times. The helmet cracked and a bag was thrown in the air. I immediately shot the arrow to pin it to a nearby wall.

I focused my attention on the humans below me. The water rose slowly as they tried to discern where I am. A second later, the clicking of the gun began. "COME HERE AND FIGHT RUNT!" The harpoon fired from the fog. I released the trigger and shot a powerful piercing arrow. The harpoon broke. The gem scattered to pieces. It hit the water, and the electricity flowed through. Through all of them. Their bodies contorted violently as their brains fried. Arms moved rapidly to find something to save themselves, but they couldn't. The movements slowly stopped and lay stiff in the water.

I slowly opened my eyes as the pain dulled. I breathed heavily as I saw the plague rat standing in front of me. Those crazed eyes weren't there anymore. It was just more worry.. "Oh! You're safe!" Twitch shouted. "Twitch thought they took you away as well..."

"Twitch.. What happe-" I looked around and saw 5 bodies lay limp in the water.

"Those humans tried to kill you! I saw them stab this metal thingy in you! And you wanted to save them! Hah! Worthless.." Twitch spit on one of the human's head. "At least they're dead now.. No more being walked over on! Hah!"

I sighed as he looked towards the direction of Twitch's lair. "Well... thanks Twitch. I could always count on you to save me.." ZAC said as he petted Twitch. "Sorry about your home.. Being flooded and all.."

Twitch paused in silence at the mention of his home. Now it was all under water. "Hmph... Guess Twitch's lair is fully destroyed huh.." the rat muttered bitterly."My roaches.. My recipes.. My home.. all ruined by those stupid humans!"

I placed my hand behind Twitch and pat him for comfort. "Hey.. I have something to show you. I think you'll like it."

I hopped to the second most highest pipe and presented Twitch the crate full of journals. The rat hopped off to view them. All of them with his handwriting and all of them keeping a record of what happened a few years ago like a photo book with each page representing a snapshot.

"Look.. buddy.." I said softly as I approached him. "I know you lost your home; I know how you feel..." I took out a photo of my parents. Still safe and preserved despite all of the chaos. Thank god. "But at least we have this right?"

"That's not all of them.." Twitch muttered bitterly. "That's not all of the vile humans. I know there were more of them who came down here. You expect me to let them go scot-free! Goopy One! They killed your creators... Destroyed my home.. "

"I... know.." I murmured, placing my hand on top of the green chest, still feeling the surge of electricity. I quickly flinched at the thought. "But I don't want them to destroy you too.."

Twitch paused silently. All anger on his face was washed away at the prospect of dying, all replaced by sadness. "It's... It's just.."

"Hey.. at least we have this right," I said pointing to the box. I offered my hand. "At least you have me.. Right?"

"Yes.. At least I have you.." The moment Twitch grabbed it, he was slinged on top of my back. I grabbed the box full of Twitch's belongings and headed on our way to a new home as Twitch tightly hugs my neck.


End file.
